From: Adam 

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/02/syrianbase.shtml

Y'know wot I woz saying wrt sailing AD warships in for a port visit when
the Israelis were bombing Lebanon....welll..... seems like the Russians
have twigged the idea...

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/02/syrianbase.shtml

"Russia has begun works in the Syrian port of Tartus seeking to built
a full-scale naval base for the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, currently
based in Ukraine’s Sevastopol, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday,
quoting unnamed sources in the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of
the Russian Navy.

The paper noted that this is the first time Russia is setting up a military
base outside the CIS since the fall of the USSR and that the base will
allow Moscow to pursue its own line in the Middle East.

Russia has also started work in the port of Latakia in Syria, the newspaper
said. The base in Tartus and the new mooring in Latakia will be able to
serve the needs of the Black Sea Fleet and possibly the North Sea Fleet as
well.

The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that in the nearest future the
Russian Navy will form a squadron headed by the Moskva missile cruiser
which will permanently operate in the Mediterranean, taking part in joint
exercises with NATO forces.

The sources said that the new base would allow Russia to strengthen its
positions in the Middle East and also enhance Syrian security.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry has refuted the report. Russia is not
building a military base in Syria, spokesman for the Ministry Colonel
Vyacheslav Sedov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying."


& it ain't just sailing AD capable warships about the place....

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=IVA20060728&art
icleId=2847

"According to our sources, Russia is deepening the port of Tartus (
Syria) where it has a naval materiel and technical supplies center. This
may be regarded as evidence of Russia's determination to make Syria a
bridgehead for boosting its influence with Middle East.

Russia has had a naval materiel and technical supplies center in Tartus
since the 1970s. Vladimir Zimin, advisor on the staff of the Russian
Embassy in Syria, says that the port is being made deeper at present.
Similar work is under way in the port of Latakia. All this may be regarded
as evidence of Russia's determination to make Syria a bridgehead for
boosting its influence with Middle East. The materiel and technical
supplies center may eventually gain the status of a base of the Black Sea
Fleet.

Defense Ministry sources, speaking anonymously, hint that Moscow has some
far-reaching plans indeed. A group of ships under the missile cruiser
Moskva (Black Sea Fleet flagship) is to be formed within the next three
years. The group will be stationed in the Mediterranean Sea on the
permanent basis. Among other tasks, it will participate in
counter-terrorism operation Active Endeavor with NATO forces. Hence the
necessity to make the Tartus and Latakia facilities ready for the Russian
surface warships - ships of the Black Sea Fleet and eventually the Northern
Fleet as well. (The latter will be used to reinforce the Russian
Mediterranean naval group whenever necessary.)

But a source in the Naval Main Command said that establishment of a
fully-fledged base in Tartus could help Russia with warships and tenders
withdrawn from Sevastopol in the Crimea. In fact, once the bottom of the
Tartus port is deepened, the port will be able to receive all ships of the
Black Sea Fleet without exception.

Defense Ministry sources point out that a naval base in Tartus will enable
Russia to solidify its positions in the Middle East and ensure security of
Syria. Moscow intends to deploy an air defense system around the base - to
provide air cover for the base itself and a substantial part of Syrian
territory. (S-300PMU-2 Favorit systems will not be turned over to the
Syrians. They will be manned and serviced by Russian personnel.)

According to our sources, Russia and Damascus reached an agreement on
modernizing Syria's air defenses. Its medium-range S-125 air defense
systems will be upgraded to the Pechora-2A level. The upgrade will
certainly improve Syrian air defense, which uses hardware supplied to Syria
back in the 1980s. Moscow is prepared to offer Syria more sophisticated
medium-range Buk-M1s as well. Close-range Strelets systems sold to Damascus
last year are all the Syrian air defense system has to show by way of
sophisticated gear at this point (these systems use Igla SAMs).

Syria wants more than that. A contract for modernization of 1,000 T-72
tanks was drawn and signed. Yesterday, Arms-TASS news agency reported
successful tests of T-90C tanks "in a certain Middle East
country" and Rosoboroneksport's negotiations over their sale. Other
Russian-Syrian arms talks under way concern two Amurs (Project 1650 diesel
submarines), some SU-30MKI fighters along with YAK-130s, and modernization
of MIG-29 frontal fighters. Damascus also aspires for a consignment of the
latest Pantsir-C1 air defense systems designed in Tula.

Establishment of a base in Tartus and rapid advancement of military
technology cooperation with Damascus make Syria Russia's instrumental
bridgehead and bulwark in the Middle East. Damascus is an important ally of
Iran and irreconcilable enemy of Israel. It goes without saying that
appearance of the Russian military base in the region will certainly
introduce corrections into the existing correlation of forces. Russia is
taking the Syrian regime under its protection. It will almost certainly
sour Moscow's relations with Israel. It may even encourage the Iranian
regime nearby and make it even less tractable in the nuclear program
talks."

I wonder if they will base aircraft there as well.

Adam

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